Crampon

ABSTRACT

A crampon for application to climbing boots for walking tours and the like on icy surfaces consisting of two frameworks to be fit with the lower portion of a boot and tie and lever assembly for removably securing the crampon to a boot.

UNITED STATES PATENTS HoellerQ ..36/64 United States Patent I 3,685,173 Piazza Aug. 22, 1972 CRAMPON 1,224,217 5/ 1917 Schefstrom et al ..36/7.6 Inventor: Aldo Piazza, Corso Matteo'tti, Adams Italy FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [221 Filed= 13, 1970 1,330,099 5/1963 France ..36/7.6

[21] Appl. N0.: 89,383

. Przmary ExaminerPatrIck D. Lawson Att0rneyGuido Modiano and Albert .losif [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 14, 1970 Italy ..20642 A/7O [571 ABSTRACT A crampon for application to climbing boots for walk- [52] US. Cl ..36/7.6, 36/64 i tours d the like on i y surfaces consisting of two v [51] Int. Cl. ..A43b 3/10 frameworks to be fit with the lower portion of a boot Field of Search ..36/7.6, 62, 6 .5 R and tie and lever assembly for removably securing the crampon to a boot. [56] References Cited 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMIEZZ 1912 3,685,173

INVENTOR Aldo PIAZZA CRAMPON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to crampons generally applied to climbing boots for walking tours, alpinism and generally for walking on icy surfaces.

The presently known crampons comprise a resting base for a boot provided with a plurality of depending tip elements rigidly connected to the bottom thereof. For securing such crampons to the boots leather belts areusually employed in the front portion of each crampon.

The crampons in use at present have anumber of inconveniences. A particularly undesired drawback felt by the users is that the securing belts becoming wet due to the lowering of the temperature become shorter and thus exert a notable pressure against the foot and prevent blood from circulating and sometimes aid frost-bite to occur.

Another drawback of the known crampons is that the samefit only with difficulty the various types and size of boots.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is that of eliminating the above-mentioned drawbacks in the crampons of known type, by providing a crampon in which the use of belt-like securing elements is eliminated and on'the other hand having flexibility of use with various types and size of boots and at the same time providing high efficiency and reliability.

Another object is that of providing a crampon particularly sturdy and ready to manufacture and use.

These and further objects which will better appear from the following description are attained by a crampon for boots in general comprising a first frame having an outline substantially equal to that of the front portion of a boot and provided at the lower portion thereof with a plurality of teeth, and a second frame having outline substantially equal to that of the heel of the boot and also provided at the lower portion thereof with a plurality of teeth, connection means adjustable between the said first and second frames, as well as securing means for the said first and second frames to a boot, wherein, according to the improvement, said first frame is of a substantially quadrilateral articulated configuration and has two first opposite sides substantially parallel to the lateral outline of the front portion of a boot and hinged to one another at the tip of the said boot, and two further sides equal to one another and defining a transverse side of said first frame and being hinged at one another at one end thereof and to the said two first opposite sides at the other end thereof, respectively, the common pivot pin of the said two sides equal to one another being also the pivot pin for said adjustable connection means between said first and second frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Further characteristics and advantages will be better made clear from the following detailed description of a crampon according to the invention, illustrated by way of indicative example in the accompanying drawing in which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the aboveFigures, the crampon lv comprises a first articulated quadrilater frame 2 having two firstopposite sides 3 and 4 which are shaped according to the outline'of the front or tip portion of a boot 5 and pivoted to one another'at 6 adjacent to the tip of the boot, and two further sides 7 and 8 articulated to one another at 9, that is at one end thereof. The sides 7 and 8 are equal to one another and define a transverse side of the first frame 2. At 9 there is also pivoted the rod-like element 10 adjustably connecting the first frarne 2 to a second frame 27 on which the heel of the boot rests. The sides 7 and 8 are linked to the sides 3 and 4 at 11 and 12, respectively. The sides 3 and 4 are provided at the lower end thereof with a plurality of tipped elements 13 and with icebreaking extensions or teeth 14 located in the front portion and extending forwards and downwards (FIGS. 4 and 5). Each of these icebreaking extensions 14 are integral with one of the sides 3 and 4 and have a sharpened and flat shape. The extensions 14 are folded at with respect to the sides 3 and 4 in order to facilitate the breaking action of the ice met by the boot, and have also in the lower portion thereof a toothing 14a which aids in holding the crampon and thus the boot, on the icy surface even before the tips 13 penetrate the same.

At the upper portion both sides 3 and 4 have platelike lugs 15 and 16 extending at right angles to which the L-shaped plate elements 17 and 18, respectively, are connected at different levels through respective fixing elements 19 and 20 and the slots 21 and 22. The plate elements 17 and 18 therefore can be fixed in position to lock, through the upper bent end, the edge of the boot on the first frame 2. From the sides 3 and 4 lugs 23 and 24 extend also upwardly and are formed with holes 23a and 24a at the top portion thereof through which a boot holding cord or string is fixed not shown.

The rod-like element 10 is provided lengthwise with a plurality of teeth 25 and notches 25a according to a herring-bone arrangement designed to penetrate the opening 26 in the frame 27. The width of the rod-like element 10 at the teeth 25 is substantially equal to the width of the opening 26.

The notches 25a between adjacent to teeth 25 have suitable dimensions to enter and sit in the small opening 26a adjacent to the large opening 26. The element 10 at the free end thereof carries a head 25b having a width greater than the width of the opening 26. The frame 27 has a recessed portion 27a to receive the element 10 in an operative position.

to the shape of a boot-heel and is provided at the lower end thereof with a plurality of tips 13a and is laterally in A engagement with one end of the tie elements 28 and 29. At the other end thereof the tie elements 28 and 29 are articulated to the locking lever element 30. The element 29 comprises in fact an assembly with screw 31 nut 32 and an element 33 articulated to the nut element 32. At 34 there is indicated a cap consisting of resilient material, preferably rubber.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 the crampon is shown before and after the boot 5 has been applied, respectively. More particularly there is shown the position taken by the sides 7 and 8 connected to the rod-like element 10 in the two cases mentioned above.

The operation of the crampon according to the invention is as follows: by initially arranging the two frames 2 and 27 of the crampon, the first operation to be carried out-is that of engaging the element 10 in the opening 26. In order to cause the relative large head 25b to enter the opening 26 the rod-like element 10 is tilted relative to the slot or opening 26 thus fitting with the opening 26 at the narrower portion of the head 25b.

After the initial insertion of the element 10 in the opening 26, the same is caused to slide therethrough at right angles with the plane development of the opening 26. Once the correct spacing between the frames 2 and 27 is found through successive attempts, by introducing the element 10 in a more or less extent into the opening 26, the element 10 is rotated by hand relative to the resting plane of the boot 5 of the frame 27. Upon such movement a pair of notches 25a of the element 10 meet with the narrow opening 26a thus securely engaging the element 10 with the frame 27. The protecting portion of the element 10 also freely engages the recess 27a in the frame 27 without hindering the subsequent fitting of the frame 27 with the boot 5. The relative long extension of the element 10 permits the crampon l to be fitted onto a wide range of boots 5 of different size and shape. The fine adjustment of the frames 2 and 27 to one another is effected by manually screwing or tightening the nut element 32 on the screw element 31. The boot 5 is then clamped to the crampon, thus arranged by closing the locking lever member 30. This locking operation generated at the pivoting point 9 a pulling force towards the boot-heel, which tends to bring the projecting plates 23 and 24 near to one another which therefore come to adhere firmly against the boot 5.

The adjusting of the crampon, according to the present invention, to the thickness of the edge 5a of the boot 5, is effected by lowering the L-shaped fixing elements 17 and 18 against the edge itself and successively securing them to the frame 2 by means of the screw elements l9 and 20.

From the above description it should be noted that the crampon according to the invention can be applied to a plurality of boot types and boot dimensions in a simple and safe way, thus eliminating at the same time also the drawbacks arising from when fixing belts were used.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and changes all of which fall within the scope of the inventive idea.

In practice the materials and dimensions used can be any qcoording to the requirements.

0 arm:

1. A crampon for boots in general comprising a first frame having an outline substantially equal to that of the front portion of the boot and provided at the lower portion thereof with a plurality of teeth, and a second frame having an outline substantially equal to that of the heel of the boot and also provided at the lower portion thereof with a plurality of teeth, connection means adjustable between the said first and second frames, as well as securing means for the said first and second frames to a boot, wherein, according to the improvement, said first frame is of a substantially quadrilateral articulated configuration and has two first opposite sides substantially parallel to the lateral outline of the front portion of a boot and hinged to one another at the tip of the said boot, and two further sides equal to one another and defining a transverse side of said first frame and being hinged to one another at one end thereof and to the said two first opposite sides at the other end thereof, respectively, the corrimon pivot pin of the said two sides equal to one another being also the pivot pin for said adjustable connection means between said first and second frame.

2. A crampon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said securing means of the said two frames to the boot comprises locking lever and tie means for securing the said second frame to the crampon at the back of the boot near the heel thereof, and substantially L-shaped fixing elements connected to plate-like lugs formed on said first frame and extending upwards, the said substantially L-shaped fixing elements being movably mounted on the said plate-like lugs and capable of being locked in position to block with their bent end, the boot edge on said first frame.

3. A crampon as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said lever and tie means comprise screw and nut means on the said tie element for fine adjustment of the securing means of the crampon to the boot.

4. A crampon as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said first opposite sides of said first frame each have an ice breaking tooth extending forwards and substantially directed downwardly, the said tooth being integral with each of the said sides and extending at right angles relative thereto and is provided with a sharped tip at the lower portion thereof.

t i l 

1. A crampon for boots in general comprising a first frame having an outline substantially equal to that of the front portion of the boot and provided at the lower portion thereof with a plurality of teeth, and a second frame having an outline substantially equal to that of the heel of the boot and also provided at the lower portion thereof with a plurality of teeth, connection means adjustable between the said first and second frames, as well as securing means for the said first and second frames to a boot, wherein, according to the improvement, said first frame is of a substantially quadrilateral articulated configuration and has two first opposite sides substantially parallel to the lateral outline of the front portion of a boot and hinged to one another at the tip of the said boot, and two further sides equal to one another and defining a transverse side of said first frame and being hinged to one another at one end thereof and to the said two first opposite sides at the other end thereof, respectively, the common pivot pin of the said two sides equal to one another being also the pivot pin for said adjustable connection means between said first and second frame.
 2. A crampon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said securing means of the said two frames to the boot comprises locking lever and tie means for securing the said second frame to the crampon at the back of the boot near the heel thereof, and substantially L-shaped fixing elements connected to plate-like lugs formed on said first frame and extending upwards, the said substantially L-shaped fixing elements being movably mounted on the said plate-like lugs and capable of being locked in position to block with their bent end, tHe boot edge on said first frame.
 3. A crampon as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said lever and tie means comprise screw and nut means on the said tie element for fine adjustment of the securing means of the crampon to the boot.
 4. A crampon as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said first opposite sides of said first frame each have an ice-breaking tooth extending forwards and substantially directed downwardly, the said tooth being integral with each of the said sides and extending at right angles relative thereto and is provided with a sharped tip at the lower portion thereof. 